GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2

(LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaboration)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2218 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe the observation of GW170104, a gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of a pair of stellar-mass black holes. The signal was measured on January 4, 2017 at 10 11:58.6 UTC by the twin advanced detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory during their second observing run, with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 13 and a false alarm rate less than 1 in 70 000 years. The inferred component black hole masses are 31.2-6.0+8.4M' and 19.4-5.9+5.3M (at the 90% credible level). The black hole spins are best constrained through measurement of the effective inspiral spin parameter, a mass-weighted combination of the spin components perpendicular to the orbital plane, χeff=-0.12-0.30+0.21. This result implies that spin configurations with both component spins positively aligned with the orbital angular momentum are disfavored. The source luminosity distance is 880-390+450 Mpc corresponding to a redshift of z=0.18-0.07+0.08. We constrain the magnitude of modifications to the gravitational-wave dispersion relation and perform null tests of general relativity. Assuming that gravitons are dispersed in vacuum like massive particles, we bound the graviton mass to mg≤7.7×10-23 eV/c2. In all cases, we find that GW170104 is consistent with general relativity.

Original languageEnglish
Article number221101
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume118
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Science and Technology Facilities CouncilST/N000064/1, ST/K005014/2, ST/K005014/1, ST/N00003X/1, ST/M004090/1, ST/M004090/2, ST/J000019/1, ST/P000258/1, ST/H002006/1, ST/L000954/1, ST/M005844/1, ST/H008438/1, PP/F001118/1, ST/J000345/1, PP/F00110X/1, ST/I000887/1, ST/J000302/1, 1653071, ST/N005481/1, ST/N000072/1, ST/L000911/1, ST/I006277/1, ST/N005422/1, ST/N005716/1, PPA/G/S/2002/00652, ST/N005406/1, ST/J000361/1, Gravitational Waves, ST/G504284/1, ST/K000845/1, ST/I006285/1, ST/L003465/1, ST/I006242/1, 1654298, ST/M006735/1, PP/F001096/1, ST/I006269/1, ST/N000080/1, ST/I001085/1, ST/L000946/1, ST/L000962/1, ST/F500972/1, ST/N000633/1, ST/J00166X/1, ST/N005430/1, ST/I001026/1
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme647839
National Science Foundation1404395, 1104371, 1458952, 1308527, 1505629, 1505308, 1559694, 1443047, 1607673, 1505124, 1506497, 1506254, 1608922, 1404139, 1125897, 1608423, 1606522, 1607336, 1607709, 1707954, 1654359, 1151836, 1505779, 1607585, 1541396, 1506360
UK Research and Innovation104070
Not added12227

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